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2 There is nothing higher than attainment of the Self than attainment of the Self than perception of the true nature of the supreme Self. there is nothing higher, no other attainment higher. So in the discussion in the Bṛihādaraṇyaka Upanishad it is said, ‘That indeed is dearer than the son’ (1.4.8) or than anything else. 3 For that end we quote some verses which bring about attainment of Self Though the doshas, anger and the rest, which act as obstacles to attainment of Self, are indeed shaken off by freedom from anger and the other yogas, yet they are not quite extinct. For the root sprouts again, since Ignorance (ajnana) which is the seed of all the doshas, has not been extinguished. And in that case, their seed not being annihilated, anger and the rest though extinguished for the time will spring up again and there will be no …

Arjuna’s Disbelief In typical traditional pictures of the Gītā scene, Arjuna is shown with palms joined in reverence, looking at Kṛṣṇa in an attitude of devotion and faith. But this is not what is described by the Gītā itself, in which Arjuna shows from the very beginning that he does not really recognize Kṛṣṇa as a teacher or as a god. For a long time he has little confidence in what he is told. There is a series of indications, which can, however, easily be overlooked. It is a great advantage to readers today that the doubts are brought out so clearly. There is a tendency to think: ‘Oh, in those times they had absolute faith in what they were told: of course that’s not true for us today.’ In ancient times there was just as much scepticism as today. Already in the time of the Buddha (fifth century BC) …